“The Use of Volatile Organic Compounds
in the Printing Industry and It’s Adverse effects on
Public Heath”

Blake Owens 2009

Volatile organic compounds (VOC s)
are high vapor pressure, low water solubility compounds found in many man made
chemicals (USGS, 2007, ¶ 1). There are
thousands of products that contain such VOC s ranging from everyday household
cleaners to industrial strength solvents (USGS, 2007, ¶ 1). One industry that this paper will be focusing
on is the printing industry and its practices.Inks, cleaners, solvents, emulsions, thinners, retardants and
de-emulsifiers are all integral parts of everyday production in the printing
industries and many of these contain VOC s.While it may seem distant to the everyday observer, these printing businesses
go on to use VOC based products to produce stickers, t-shirts, labels,
newspapers, magazines, packaging; virtually anything with print on it has a
good chance of having a VOC involved in its production somewhere.While the print on ones newspaper is not
going to jump up and start running amuck, by the time that the paper has been
printed, those VOC s have had ample chance to do damage. Exposure to VOC s can cause a whole range of
health problems, from respiration illness to cancer. VOC s can greatly affect
workers in the print industry and beyond. “Sick building syndrome” (SBS) and “building
related illness” (BRI) are both directly related to VOC s and affect a large
working population (EPA, 2008, ¶ 1,2 ). VOC levels are 2 to 5 times higher inside
buildings and homes than outside even in highly polluted industrial areas (EPA,
2009, ¶ 3). In poorly ventilated
buildings in which volatile organic compounds are in use, the concentration
could be even higher and risk for adverse health effects greatly increased. As demand for a safer, healthier workplace
increases so does the demand for less VOC use in industries. New “green” or
“eco-friendly” businesses have sprouted up creating alternatives to VOC s.

Volatile Organic Compounds

A
volatile organic compound is by EPA definition: “Any organic compound that
participates in atmospheric photochemical reactions except those designated by
EPA as having negligible photochemical reactivity.” (EPA,
2008).Another definition by the
Minnesota Department of health states: “Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC s) are
a large group of carbon-based chemicals that easily evaporate at room
temperature.”(MDH,
2009, ¶ 1).Some of the most
common VOC s in use today are acetone, benzene, ethylene glycol,formaldehyde, methylene chloride,
perchloroethylene, toluene, xylene, 1,3-butadiene (MDH
2009, ¶ 1). Virtually all companies and
industries use some products that contain VOC s, there are however some
industries that use much more than others. These include the printing industry,
dry cleaning stores, painting industries, industrial coatings companies, and chemical
manufacturing (EPA, 2009, ¶ 13, 14,15).Each industry uses VOC s to aid in some form
of production of a product or service.

The use of Volatile Organic Compounds in the Printing
Industry

The printing
industry contains many different types of businesses.Almost everything that has print on it has
come into contact with some sort of printing business. A vast majority of these
businesses share at least one common thread; they use VOC s for printing and
cleanup. The “Volatile” in VOC refers to the fact that these chemicals easily
evaporate or dissipate (MDH 2009, ¶ 1). This
is beneficial in many “solvent based inks” since once the ink is thinly
dispersed on its substrate, dissipation of the solvent leaves behind the dry
print.Other uses for VOC s are in
solvents for cleaning up the inks once they have dried. The addition of the
same solvent allows for easy cleanup of dried ink. Benzene is used in rubber
cement which was an integral part of graphic design in the years before
computer graphics were prevalent. Acetone is an all purpose cleaner or solvent
which can clean most adhesives, paints and inks. Methylene chloride is used in the removal of
adhesives, inks and paints, but is also used in aerosol based products commonly
implemented in the printing industry (EPA, 2009, ¶ 13).

Adverse
Health Effects from Volatile Organic Compounds

Human exposure to VOC s is centuries old (M. Faraday, 1825). Outdoor human exposure increased greatly in
the 20th century with the automobile, and indoor exposure increased
with industry and cigarette smoking (L.Wallace, 2001).
These increases have created a multitude
of scenarios that greatly accelerate chances of adverse effects from VOC s. One
scenario using methylene chloride to strip paint exposed the subject to
the equivalent of a lifetime of normal level exposure in only 8 hours (L.
Wallace, 2001).Increased exposure to VOC
s can cause a whole gamut of health problems including “eye, nose, and throat
irritation; headaches, loss of coordination, nausea; damage to liver, kidney,
and central nervous system.” (EPA, 2009, ¶ 5).A study of nearly 1000 adult humans showed
that exposure to dichlorobenzene resulted in reduced pulmonary functions in
said humans (Elliott, Longnecker,Kissling, London, 2006).“Many organic compounds are known to cause
cancer in animals; some are suspected of causing, or are known to cause, cancer
in humans.” (EPA, 2009, ¶ 6).There have also been findings to suggest that
indoor VOC exposure might be linked with increasing asthma cases; “such an effect
should only be expected in those who are exposed by inhalation, an exposure
that may be limited to occupational settings.” (G.D. Nielson, 2007).Two particularly troubling and difficult
problems with indoor VOC exposure are “sick building syndrome” (SBS) and
“building related illness” (BRI) .These problems stem from poor air quality,
VOC exposure, poor air circulation, dust and many other factors (L. Wallace,
2001). It is estimated that SBS, BRI and
general poor air quality costs 100 billion dollars annually due to medical
visits and decreased worker production (L. Wallace, 2001).With standard office buildings suffering from
SBS it is not difficult to imagine how much more affected the printing industry
is with all the VOC s in use everyday. A medium sized print shop can go through
several hundred gallons of VOC based products every year. Without proper
ventilation and protection, employees can be exposed to monumental amounts of
VOC s on nearly a daily basis (L. Wallace, 2001). Even sealed VOC containers can contribute to
poor indoor air quality (EPA, 2009, ¶ 11).

Alternatives and Improvements

There are
many options available today for industries to reduce VOC use and improve
indoor air quality. These improvements are not only beneficial to the employees
but also the company as poor air quality can adversely affect employee
production. There are a growing number of “green” solvents, inks, cleaners,
lubricants and other products that traditionally might have been a VOC based
product. Derived from different naturally occurring plant matter, such as soy
beans and corn, these alternative products offer much less reactivity,
flammability and overall health risks.While these can benefit a great number of businesses, there are some
however which cannot substitute VOC s or have no other
options available. Improving ventilation, investing in protective suits and
masks, disposing of outdated storage cans, and better educating its employees
can all greatly decrease the effects of VOC s on employees (EPA, 2009, ¶ 11). One of the major innovations in the printing
industry is the use of UV dried inks. Instead of using a volatile based ink to
evaporate and cure, the ink is instantly dried by a powerful light source. The ink uses no VOC and emits no toxic gases (Kalkowski, 2007).

Conclusion

The implementation of volatile organic compounds has
been utilized in global industries for centuries and continues to be used. There are many different uses for VOC based
products in the printing industry due to their volatile nature and excellent
solvency. Despite their usefulness, VOC
s pose significant health risks to the working population of industries
including respiratory illness, headaches, cancer, asthma, skin irritation and
decreased pulmonary function (EPA, 2009, ¶ 5,6) (Elliott et al, 2006). Sick building syndrome and building related
illness are both partially attributed to VOC s in buildings and cost billions
every year.Industries now have many
alternatives to the use of VOC s and many ways to better control the use and
ventilation thereof. Industries who
embrace a healthier workplace will not only improve the quality of life for its
workers but increase efficiency due to a more productive workforce (L. Wallace,
2001).